


A Troubling Fixation

by Jinipan



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, One-Sided Attraction, Sex, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-02 07:23:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11504508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jinipan/pseuds/Jinipan
Summary: Although Zuko has officially joined the group, Aang's recent observations are problematic.





	1. Chapter 1

Aang's troubles began a few days after Zuko had joined their group.

He had unknowingly triggered them through his own observations, and from his own desire to understand Zuko better.

He had begun starring at him, comparing and noting all of Zuko's unique qualities.

Among the first things he noticed was that Zuko was a good teacher. Despite Aang's protests and general lack of commitment, he had to admit that Zuko was patient with him. His demonstrations were always perfect and controlled and his explanations clear. He always took the time to break everything down and deliver it to Aang at a steady and manageable pace. And while he was harsh when it came criticizing his performance, he never shied away from giving Aang the praised he was due.

But while Zuko was a good and confident teacher, Aang observed that his social skills outside the the training ground were lacking to say the least.

Zuko was shy and awkward, more so he suspected because of the tension his sudden presence brought to the group. Often Aang would observe him from across the campfire, noticing how Zuko awkwardly sat to the side in silence while the rest of the group joked and laughed with each other. During those times, Zuko would sometimes glance at the rest of the group with a look of longing in his eyes. The mere sight of it made Aang a little sad inside.

So Aang tried to be diplomatic and bring Zuko closer into the group. At first, his attempts were not well received by both Zuko and the others. Zuko gave bland short answers to all Aang's questions while the rest ignored him completely. But as the days passed and life moved on, Zuko slowly shifted closer to the group. And while he was still shy and awkward, his reactions began to vary. Zuko would smile shyly at people's comments, laugh quietly at people's jokes, and when he was shy, Zuko would turn red and hide his eyes behind the shadows cast by his long shaggy hair.

He noted how Zuko's actions also shifted with every person he interacted, although his interactions tended to be limited to Toph, Sokka and himself. With the obvious hostility, it was only natural that he remained quite and reserved with the others.

Yet Zuko's change was evident and Aang secretly watched with great fascination how he morphed into different people.

When Zuko was alone with Toph, he was calm and open. They both seemed to understand each other and Aang felt that Toph was one of the few select people Zuko allowed to see his vulnerability. That in itself made Aang very happy. So with hope that those interactions continued, he tried not to let it show he knew whenever he caught them smiling.

In contrast, Zuko was competitive with Sokka, treating him like an equal. Aang knew their mutual love and skill with weapons had bonded them and he would pause from his earth bending training to see them talking eagerly about swords or hear the clashing of metal as they practiced.

\--------------------------------

And as his observations continued, Aang was surprised to realize how beautiful Zuko truly was.

Zuko's body was unique. It did not resemble those of the other boys at the Western Air temple. Although he was not much taller or older than Sokka or Haru, he somehow looked much more mature, regal and stronger.

During training Aang marveled at the strange mix that composed Zuko's physic. Zuko was surprisingly slim yet his muscles were more prominent than on the other boys. The smooth groves and swells on his body revealing his hidden physical strength.

And as he paused to take a breath, he saw how Zuko's pale skin glowed in the sunlight. Its vast, smooth milkiness triggered old memories inside him. Aang couldn't help but think of the Earth Kingdom's fine porcelain and how wonderful it had felt when he had held a small porcelain cup in his hands. The mere memory urged him to touch Zuko, curious if his skin felt the same.

And as Aang resumed his training, he continued to admire Zuko from the corner of his eyes, his gaze settling on Zuko's face.

Like his body, his face also had an elegant beauty to it. Zuko had fine features: a long narrow nose and thin smooth lips. And although his scar looked fierce and angry, it complimented the other side of his face, where a thick dark eyebrow curved elegantly over an almond shaped eye.

His eyes, though, were arguably his best feature. Both eyes, even the one deformed into a permanent slit, glowed a warm gold, twinkling when he smiled and unconsciously attracting Aang's gaze.

And the more he stared, the more Aang thought of these things as he ate and trained with Zuko. His mind logically processing any new information until he realized that due to his initial deep fear of Zuko he had been blind to his beauty. He had simply reduced Zuko's image to an omen of danger.

As the days went by, Zuko's place in the group was cemented. The others no longer looked at him with intense suspicion and hatred. Even Katara had stopped her protests and only seldomly glared at him.

Everything would have been good and well if it weren't for the way Aang's continued observations began to puzzle him.

He had not known before how warm Zuko was. His skin was much hotter than anyone elses'. Aang secretly relished the way the pale skin seemed to be constantly radiating a soft heat. And soon every accidental brush of an elbow as they ate around the small campfire or a brush of their fingertips as Zuko handed him something, brought him immense pleasure.

Aang's urge to touch Zuko's skin was further fed by his discovery of its complex and varying texture. With every accidental touch, Aang had learned Zuko's hands were rough and strong with callouses while the skin of his forearm was smooth and soft like velvet. How wonderful, Aang thought with a smile one day, and he tried to imagine how the rest of Zuko felt as he stared at Zuko's pale neck from across the campfire.

\--------------------------------

Soon enough Aang had started to feel rather uncomfortable around Zuko. At first he thought he was paranoid, although he didn't know why. After all Zuko had done nothing wrong and Aang really, really did enjoy Zuko's presence.

But as he grew further unsure of his feelings towards Zuko, Aang suddenly felt he could no longer train with him, at least not without something digging at him inside.

When he stood next to Zuko, Aang would slowly lose focus, and become intoxicated by his faint scent of soot and fire lilies. His heart would begin to beat rapidly at the sound of the deep and raspy breaths Zuko took, while his eyes would follow the small beads of sweat on Zuko's skin, following them with great intensity as they trailed down his long neck. And whenever he saw Zuko's skin flush an impossible rosy pink color, Aang would suddenly become breathless and start squirming.

But whatever it was, it wasn't only eating at him but Katara as well.

Her eyes sometimes lingered on Zuko like his, although hers always had a strange glossy shine to them. She also seemed to relish the warm feel of his skin, intentionally brushing Zuko's fingers with her own as she handed him a bowl during every meal. And out of the whole group only she got up early for their training, watching them with intense eyes and parted lips.

And when she thought no one was looking, Aang saw her pass by quickly, gently running her fingers over Zuko's discarded shirt before resuming her work.

For some reason Katara's attentiveness began to bother Aang. His mood would suddenly sour when he caught her eyes lingering on Zuko a little too long. And he would stare bitterly at the back of her head on the rare occasions that she walked side by side with Zuko.

He was not sure why he suddenly felt so angry at his friend, at least not till a few days later when he woke up covered in sweat and feeling an uncomfortable tightness in his stomach. Images of pale and delicious sweat covered skin burned into his he squirmed slightly as he felt a tingling sensation after the loose fabric of his pants shifted when he sat up.

And Aang noticed that for the first time in his life, that part him was erect and pressed against his soft flat stomach.


	2. Chapter 2

Aang quivered, moaning quietly as he shifted his weight to one side. Immediately he clamped a sweaty hand on his mouth, trying to keep the lewd sounds in. Aang glanced nervously at the rest of the group. Despite the darkness, he managed to see dark mounds of blankets scattered across the camp. As he realized they remained unmoving, Aang didn’t know whether he was glad or worried that the group was oblivious to his dilemma. It made him question how prepared they were for a surprise attack.But he shook his head, no this way was better. He wouldn’t know how to face any of them if they had heard. 

Aang gathered his resolve and took a deep breath through his nose, not trusting himself to remain quite with his mouth open. Again, he shifted, slowly getting up with great difficulty due to the intense ache in his groin. Once up, he quickly staggered away, heading towards the wooden storage chambers of the temple. 

As soon as he reached the chambers, Aang practically dropped himself on the wooden floor. He opened his mouth and sucked in a breath, knowing that here, in thick wooden chambers, he was truly alone. Now with renewed confidence, Aang managed to push himself up and leaned his back against the thick wall. It was then that he finally noticed what state he was in. He was sweating, thick beads of sweat running down his neck and bare chest. From the heat he felt on his face, he knew he was surely a bright red as well. 

Aang swallowed, glancing down at the visible tent in his pants and tried to recall what the monks had taught him many years ago. Aang groaned, suddenly remembering how awkward the whole thing had been. The monks’ blank faces had turned serious, almost accusing, and the snickering of the older boys had lingered in the background during the whole ordeal. 

A sudden cool breeze made Aang jerk, effectively bringing him back to his present dilemma. He bit his bottom lip and slowly lowered his pants, revealing his throbbing erection. Aang looked at it with both fascination and a bit of concern as he took note of his penis’s new appearance.

It seemed to be thicker and slightly longer than before, the head completely visible now that his foreskin had retracted. The whole thing had also turned, surprisingly, a slight dark pink-red. Most fascinating of all was the bit of precum that had gather at the tip.

With a slightly shaking hand, he reached for it, dabbing his index finger experimentally in the precum. Aang shivered at the sensation but didn’t stop. He lowered his fingers, running them slowly down his length, feeling its new unique texture. Aang moaned softly as his fingers paused at the base. He slid down a bit more against the wall, trying to make himself more comfortable before he warped his now steady hand around his erection.

He fumbled a bit at first, his strokes short and awkward, but soon he fell into a steady rhythm, steadily sliding his hand up and down his length. And Aang felt his body jerk as the intense heat inside him grew. His lips parted in a silent moan and eyelids fluttered as he relished in the new sensations. Again he slid his hand up, this time pausing to rub small circles on the head his thumb, before sliding it back down. Unconsciously his mind wandered to the vivid images of before. 

Like in his dream, he imagined Zuko’s long pale limbs shining with sweat. The vast and soft milkiness of his skin was dusted with a soft pink and Aang yearned to touch it and trace the soft swells of Zuko’s well defined chest. And as his strokes became a bit more frantic, his mind slowly started to fill his fantasy with the other details from his dream. 

He imagined Zuko panting, taking deep and familiar raspy breaths, as Aang imagined his own hands running up and down his warm skin. The pressure in his belly increased as he gurther imagined running his fingers over pale pink nipples and up to Zuko’s long neck, lovingly feeling the muscles he had always admired from across the campfire.

Aang whined and bit his lip, sweat was gathering at his forehead as the image became more vivid in his mind. He could now smell Zuko’s sweet and smoky scent. He could see Zuko’s eyes. The warm golden globes were glossed over in the same manner he had seen Katara’s turn when she stole glances at the prince. And suddenly he could almost feel it, Zuko’s incredible warmth, his intense stare and roughness of his hands as he returned Aang’s many touches. 

It was suddenly too much. Aang squirmed and his mouth fell open in a silent moan as he gave himself one last frantic stroke before he went weak from the intense sensation of his release. 

He slid down until he was laying on the floor, his body quivering as the high of his orgasm passed. For a few minutes he laid still in the dark, taking in deep and shaky breaths. The drying sweat on his face made the cool night breeze colder and Aang shivered, slowly coming back to reality. He suddenly frowned. 

He was attracted to Zuko. There was no question about it. But when he thought of the others and then about his own particular relationship with Zuko, he groaned. 

What was he going to do now? 

\-------------------------------------------

The next morning, Aang woke up late. He was exhausted, deep bags under his eyes and his body sore. He had not slept at all last night. Instead, Aang had meekly walked back to his sleeping bag only to lay wide awake all night. 

With a yawn, Aang rubbed his tired eyes and stood up. As usual Zuko’s and Katara’s sleeping bags were both put away, and Aang knew Zuko was waiting patiently for him. At the thought of Zuko, last night’s events came rushing back and suddenly Aang felt his cheeks heating up. He wanted to use his earth bending to crawl into the ground, far away from Zuko. He didn’t think he could face him, not with the image of a naked and moaning Zuko fresh in his mind.

Aang slapped himself with both hands. As much as he wished to disappear, he knew that was probably his worst option. If he didn’t show up sooner or later, an angry Zuko would surely come looking for him. And if he couldn’t stand his ground against a calm Zuko, he would be completely crushed by an angry Zuko. So Aang took a deep breath and tried to gather his wits as he walked out to their training ground. 

 

When he made it out on to the bright training ground, Aang was surprised to see Zuko was not alone. Katara was there with him and she didn’t look happy. 

She was glaring at Zuko, growling something as she jabbed her finger forcefully into his chest. Zuko didn’t seem to like what Katara had said and narrowed his eyes in response. “No!” he suddenly heard Zuko shout back at her. 

The shout scared Aang. Without hesitation, he ran up to them and forced himself into the narrow space between them. 

“Stop!” Aang shouted with a weary voice as he weakly pushed them apart. 

Zuko immediately shrunk back and looked away but Katara continued to glare, body stiff and unmoving as she refused to back down.

“Why are you fighting?” Aang wheezed, suddenly feeling short of breath. 

Katara turned to him with piercing eyes but they softened with concern when she saw his grim appearance. 

“Aang?” she asked, reaching forward to cup his face in her cool hands. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

Zuko turned back towards them at the sound of Karata’s concerned voice. As if he completely forget their fight from before, he stepped a bit closer to them and observed Aang’s face with a frown. 

Aang briefly met Zuko’s eyes and blushed madly. “N…nothing…” He stammered, avoiding both their eyes. He took Katara’s hands in his own and tried to free himself from her hold. 

But she wouldn’t budge. “No! Katara said firmly. “You look terrible, and you’re burning up too!”

Zuko reached over and placed his rough fingers on Aang’s forehead for a moment, completely unaware of Aang’s inner turmoil.

“Katara is right,” he said softly, “Training is cancelled for today. You’re feverish –you need to rest.”

“Of course I’m right,” she huffed, clearly offended by Zuko’s remarks. “Come - I’ll make you something and then you’re going straight to bed,” she said as she pulled him along. 

Aang groaned but willingly followed her, secretly thankful for an excuse to skip out on training with Zuko.


	3. Chapter 3

But Zuko was harder to brush off than Aang had initially realized. Instead of leaving them alone, he followed them to the small alcove that Katara had designated as their kitchen. And while Katara pulled out various canisters of herbs, Zuko silently lit a small fire with a flick of his wrist. 

Aang sat mortified in one corner, afraid that Zuko’s piercing eyes could read him. He didn’t even dare to look his direction. 

With a shaky breath, Aang focused his eyes on Katara, trying to keep his thoughts away from Zuko. But with every passing minute, he could feel Zuko’s intense stare grinding away at the bit of resolve he had somehow managed to muster.

He was just about to resign himself to the torment when Katara spoke up. 

“Instead of taking space in my kitchen, why don’t you do something useful?” she told Zuko sharply. “Go set Aang’s bedroll somewhere quiet.” 

Zuko frowned at Katara, obviously annoyed at her commanding tone, but he left without protest. 

And as Katara resumed her tasks, Aang couldn’t help but slump his shoulders in relief, glad to finally be free of Zuko. 

Aang sighed and leaned back against the stone wall. He quietly watched Katara work methodically, admiring how she carefully selected and crushed herbs before placing them in boiling water.

 

\----------------------------

 

After a few minutes of quiet observation Aang’s mind wandered back to Zuko’s and Katara’s earlier confrontation.

“Katara?” he asked his voice making her turn slightly towards him.

“What happened between - I mean, why were you fighting with Zuko?” 

Katara paused but quickly resumed her stirring of the basin of herb infused water. 

“I just wanted to remind him of his place here – to make sure he knew that he was here as your fire bending master.”

Aang frowned, confused by Katara’s statement. “But he hasn’t done anything wrong – I’m learning a lot. And Katara, he isn’t only my teacher, he’s part of our group too.”

Katara looked at him with an unreadable expression on her face. “I don’t trust him Aang –and neither should you.”

Aang furrowed his brow, “Katara –“, 

“Drink this, it should make you feel better,” Katara commanded, cutting him off.

Aang’s frown further deepened.

He wanted to continue questioning her, wanted to know why she was doing this but he knew it was better to end it here, atleast for now. And so he took the cup she offered him, He slowly drank it, twisting his eyes shut at the bitter after taste before handing it back.

“Now off to bed,” she ordered.

 

\------------------------------------------

 

Zuko had set his bedroll in a small quite room close to the main camping site. From it Aang could barely hear the others move around the campsite. 

Although he was not particularly tired, he laid on his back and looked up at the air nomad patterns painted on the ceiling. As his eyes traced the intricate patterns, his mind wandered back to Zuko and Katara’s earlier fight. 

Although it had not been anything extreme, it had been a while since Aang had seen such open hostility between them and therefore he couldn’t help but be concerned about it. Moreover, he was especially bothered by Katara’s responses. They had been too vague for his liking. 

But what stood out to him the most was that she had told him to stay away from Zuko despite all the time Zuko had spent with them and the effort he put to gain their trust. 

Of course, Aang knew Katara and Zuko had issues. He had known that they would have a tense relationship since the moment Katara had attacked Zuko when he first presented himself at the Western Air Temple. The fact had only further engrained itself during the first few days of Zuko’s stay when she had only glared at him and had flat out refused to interact with him. During those days, she had not only been angry at Zuko but out right hostile.

Aang winced as he recalled Katara’s reaction to the prospect of them traveling to the sun warrior ruins to learn fire bending. 

Katara had hollered at the top of her lungs in protest. And each of them had begged and tried to reason with her about it but Katara would not budge. It was then that Toph had decided to step in.  
Toph, stubborn like a boulder, had crushed Katara with the brutal truth of their situation. 

“Look Sugar queen,” Toph had sneered. “I don’t care what sort of issues you have with fire head. He’s Aang’s master and if he can’t teach Aang properly, we are all going to be royally screwed.” 

“Zuko isn’t –“ 

“Enough!” Toph had shouted, the stone floor trembling slightly as she interrupted Katara. With blind eyes she had glared at her and pointed her finger dangerously close to Katara’s face.

“Aang can take care of himself and Zuko has proven himself quite enough. So get off your high horse and deal with it!”

And with that Katara had backed down. So while she had still been unhappy about it, she didn’t dare to stop them. 

But despite all her anger at the time, that had also been the last point in his memory in which he recalled such anger and tension between them. 

After that their relationship had mellowed out. Katara had toned down her anger and Zuko had seemed more open during their limited interactions. Aang also could not forget the many wishful glances and lingering touches Katara had given Zuko recently. 

And so the more Aang thought about their relationship up to today, the more sure he became of Katara’s feelings. Katara, he realized, was deeply attracted to Zuko, and had probably been for much longer than he had initially thought. But something about the way she lashed out at Zuko today told Aang that she had been deeply hurt by Zuko. 

Aang turned to his side and frowned. He felt deeply concerned and conflicted by the whole situation.

On one side he was jittery, happy but still trying to figure out what to do with his sudden attraction to Zuko, and on the other he felt both concerned and oddly satisfied about Zuko and Katara’s tense relationship. After all, he liked Zuko, perhaps he even truly loved him. And while he wasn’t sure of the difference, he certainly knew he was attracted to him and therefore wanted him all to himself.

But as much as he felt overjoyed by this, he felt terrible when his thoughts wandered to Katara.

Katara just meant so much to him. She was an indescribable and irreplaceable figure in his life.

She was his master, the first to teach him water bending and the one who continued to help him refine his skills. She was also his closest friend. Her smiling face and warm laughter cheering him up on cloudy days. But most importantly, she was the first person he saw when he woke up a hundred years later. She was the only one to believe him. The only one who tried to understand when everyone else had blamed him for everything that had happened in his absence. And the only one who readily stood by his side, ready to share the heavy burden he carried. It was because of all this, because of all she meant to him, that he had once thought he loved her. Perhaps he truly did love her although he wasn't sure what type of love he had for her. 

And perhaps it was because all this that somewhere deep inside of him, he still felt that he should want her. That he should be with her despite the incredible way Zuko's mere presence now made him feel. 

And so how could he even dare to push her feelings aside? Or feel some joy from Zuko's and Katara's fights? 

It was just not right. It would not be something Monk Gyatso, who had carefully raised and taught him about peace, love and respect, would have approved of. 

And so Aang buried his face in his pillow and tried to sleep, wishing to temporarily forget about Zuko, Katara and his many conflicting feelings.


End file.
